nemedia.com.au
north east regional extra | March 22 - 28, 2023
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March 22 - 28, 2023
Surgeon forged strong career SURGEON Stephen Franzi knew early in his career that living in metropolitan Melbourne was not where his future lay. Though he was raised and trained in the city, Stephen said the experience of commuting for three hours each day convinced him regional living was on the cards. “The aim was to have a three or four minute commute, so you could invest all that extra time in hobbies and family,” he said. A year spent working in England before returning to Australia and taking up locum positions which spanned the country allowed Stephen and wife Cindy Bryant, a nurse, to search for the place that was the best fit for them. Luckily for the local district, Stephen and Cindy liked what they had seen during his first locum appointment: a three month stint in Wangaratta in 1996. “The town has a vibe,” Stephen said. “The people are friendly here, and that isn‘t the case in all towns. “The hospital was a big part of it
By SIMONE KERWIN too – it has almost a family atmosphere, and is small enough that you know most of the medicos and staff.” The fact that a good friend from medical school, Peter Thomas, had been living in the rural city since 1995 sealed the deal, and in 1998 Stephen started working locally full–time. Now, having lived, worked and raised children Miriam and Jonathan in the area over the past 25 years, Stephen is in his final days of work, with just “a few stitches to take out” before he settles into retirement. At the start of March, he completed his last day of surgery at Northeast Health Wangaratta. The 63–year–old‘s impact on the local medical community was illustrated on that final day, when he was greeted with an extensively decorated operating theatre, morning tea, and generous farewell gifts.
◆ CALLING IT A DAY: Surgeon Stephen Franzi is preparing to retire after 25 years serving the Wangaratta district. PHOTO: Kurt Hickling
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